The multiverse got a little more meta Monday night when Yahya Abdul-Mateen II hit the blue carpet at The Fantastic Four world premiere, not as himself, but fully in character as Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man, from his upcoming Marvel series.
Dressed in a sleek, movie-star-ready suit with red sunglasses in true Wonder Man fashion, Abdul-Mateen leaned all the way into the promo moment, offering an in-character interview that blurred the line between actor and Avenger.
“I grew up as a really big fan of Wonder Man, a really big fan of comics,” he said, channeling Simon Williams. “It was actually the first movie that I saw in the theaters with my father when I was very young. That day I left the theater wanting to be a superhero. It’s amazing, and this is actually a very beautiful full-circle moment for me.”
And just as quickly as the blue carpet magic started, it turned Marvel-messy, in the best way. The interviewer shifted gears and brought up Trevor Slattery, the disgraced actor who once posed as the Mandarin (Iron Man 3 fans know the chaos), and apparently has some connection to Simon in the upcoming Wonder Man series.
Abdul-Mateen, staying hilariously committed to character, gave a polite but swift exit. “I’m sorry, we’ve got to get moving. I’m so sorry. I’ve got to go,” he said with a diplomatic smile, before being ushered away by his team.
For fans less familiar with Wonder Man, Simon Williams is a long-standing Marvel character who first debuted in the comics back in 1964. Initially introduced as a villain powered by ionic energy and created to infiltrate the Avengers, he ultimately switched sides and became a full-fledged hero and even a Hollywood actor within the Marvel universe.
It’s that duality, superhero and celebrity, that the new Disney+ series is expected to explore, with Abdul-Mateen perfectly cast to navigate both worlds.
Marvel’s decision to have Yahya show up as Simon Williams to a premiere for The Fantastic Four, a team known for their own tangled celebrity status, is no coincidence. It’s a clever tease of the tone we can expect from Wonder Man, a series likely to blend action, satire, and a wink at the absurdity of fame in the superhero age.
With filming reportedly complete and Marvel doubling down on character-driven storytelling, Wonder Man looks poised to be one of the MCU’s more genre-bending, character-centric entries.
Wonder Man is slated to premiere in December on Disney+.
Photo Credit: Marvel
